1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for use with the recording of a character or an image, and an electronic typewriter having such a recording apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, a recording apparatus for recording onto a recording medium such as paper or an OHP sheet (hereafter referred to as a recording sheet or simply as a paper) mounted on the electronic typewriter or word processor has been proposed in which the recording head is mounted in accordance with various recording methods. There are recording heads based on wire-dot, thermal, thermal imprint and ink jet recording methods.
The ink jet recording method which directly discharges ink onto a recording sheet, has a low running cost and performs quietly.
An electronic typewriter, for example, on which a recording apparatus having such an ink jet recording head is mounted, performs predetermined recording by feeding a recording sheet of predetermined size to a recording position, and scanning with the recording head in both directions while conveying the recording sheet in accordance with a record signal. If the recording on the recording sheet is terminated, and the recording sheet is exhausted, a next recording sheet is fed to a recording position for subsequent recording. In this case, in exhausting the recording sheet, a trailing end portion of paper passing between pinch rollers comes into contact with ink discharge ports in the ink jet recording head. As a result of this contact, there is the possibility of a failure in conveying the sheet or of damage to the discharge port face.
A technique for solving such a problem is that in a recording area where recording is performed and opposed to the recording head in the conveyance passage for the recording sheet, suction means is provided, and the recording sheet is conveyed by suction so that the trailing end portion of the recording sheet does not come into contact with the head.
Also, in recording onto the entire recording area of the recording sheet, when the last line is recorded, recording is performed with a trailing end portion of the recording sheet being pressed. And when the recording of the last line has been finished, the recording head, which has moved to a non-record area off the recording area, is caused to return to an area called a home position which is a non-record area, positioned in the non-record area or opposite to the non-record area off the recording area, and where a head cap member or a head cleaning member is arranged, so as not to reduce the throughput. It has been proposed that the recording sheet be exhausted at the same time that the recording head returns.
By the way, in the case where upon termination of recording, the recording head is returned at a high speed and at the same time the recording sheet is exhausted, if the recording head is positioned in the area opposite to the home position when the recording head has recorded over the entire area of maximum recording width, the fast return operation of the head and the exhaust of the recording sheet may sometimes be concurrently carried out. In this case, if the recording sheet is jammed, then the jammed recording sheet may come into contact with the discharge port face of the recording head and damage the discharge port face.